WITHERED

A good friend of mine blogged recently that as believers in Jesus we need to be aware that God will not let sin go unchecked within His body. In other words, if the body of Christ is to be an example to the world of the holiness of Christ, we must first take care of business at home. We need to get our own houses in order. We need to look in the mirror first...remove the planks from our eyes. As my buddy also pointed out, we wont ever be perfect, it's not about that. It's about our heart attitudes. Our commitments to Him. And scriptures are in abundance that talk about that,..."as you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him"  (Col 2:6).  Abiding in the vine of Jesus Christ, will bring forth fruit. (John 15).

Of late Christians are on trial with the world. They have become aggressively active in the promotion of "gay marriage", and because we tell them that God opposes it, we're the bad guys. It's starting to happen folks. fasten your seat belts  The battle lines are being drawn. Christians are becoming an irritation to the world. A thorn in their side. I came home from work last night and surfed the TV a little, but stopped on the "Russell Brand" talk show which i never watch, but i saw this guest sitting there with a t-shirt that had big bold letters on it saying "Jesus said you must be born again" and clutching a little Bible . He was invited on the show in order to make fun of. The guy was sincere and unwavering, but the host and his guests mocked and insulted him seeking to make the audience laugh. We wont have much more time of being tolerated by them. But that for me is a very definite sign of the end. As Israel was instructed by God to wipe out nations in Canaan that refused to let His children pass by them, He also will not tolerate a world that offends His own in our time either. We'll be taken away, and God will burn up whats left. Sadly many "Christians" are being deceived by this watering down of God's truths and holy standard. There is a grievous movement towards acceptance of homosexuality...abortion, and emergent theology. When we aren't solid in our understanding of the whole word of God and His righteousness, we become easy prey to these subtle deceptions.

It's becoming increasingly harder to be a loving fruit inspector. The walls go up and you're accused of being judgmental. Yet God in His word (that Christians aren't studying), says "But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin."(Hebrews 3:13).  Christians seem to be more and more unable to receive exhortation. To open up about themselves when someone lovingly points something out. There's defensiveness which is of the flesh and pride. There's chippyness..there's close mindedness because they want to claim salvation in Jesus, but continue to live as they wish in the world and love the things of the world which John tells us we ought not to do. They are immature Christian babies who haven't grown up spiritually. I've been banned by every single "Christian chat room" online because i spoke the truth in love and it offended them, it wasn't what they called love. Their version of love is the world's version.

Until the things of God become more important to us than what we love in this world, our spiritual growth will be stunted. And by the lesson Jesus gave of the fig tree being cursed, that indifference may prove to be eternally fatal. In the book of Proverbs we see how God will judge inappropriate behavior of the lost (Prov. 6:12-15)  But Proverbs also indicts the believer in 29:1 "He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy."   God says in 1 Peter 4:17  "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? "  Please brethren don't bristle when a brother or sister offers a word of exhortation or correction. Remember in Hebrews 3,  sin deceives that way. We accept the Lord joyously at first, but if we don't water and nurture that seed of faith with the word of God and be enriched by it, we may fall away.  Jesus said in both Matthew and Luke in approximately the same verse in each book, "And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire." (Luke 3:9).   Revelation 6:13 describes a fig tree being shaken by a mighty wind and the untimely figs falling off of it. This is what will happen in the last days with the church. A purging...a cleansing. If your house is built on a rock remember the Lord said, you withstand that wind. Build brethren...build. Don't rest on your laurels. On your "lees" as Zephaniah put it in 1:12 . He said God would punish those in Jerusalem that were only interested in leading a quiet and tranquil life. In Psalm 1 you see how that a love for God's word produces growth and spiritual health as "tree planted by the rivers of water". May we His church, be ever growing and loving the Word of life that sustains us and sets us apart.